Manziel is the favorite to win college football’s most famous award. He would be the first freshman to win it and the first A&M player since halfback John David Crow won the school’s only Heisman in 1957.

Manziel racked up an SEC-record 4,600 yards of total offense, including 1,181 rushing, for the 10th-ranked Aggies.

Te'o is trying to become the first defense-only player to win the Heisman. The Fighting Irish have seven Heisman winners, tied for the most with Ohio State and Southern Cal, but none since Tim Brown in 1987.

The senior intercepted seven passes and led the No. 1 Fighting Irish with 103 tackles. He earlier Monday won the Butkus Award as country’s best linebacker and the Bronko Nagurski Award as the top defensive player.

Klein would be the first player from No. 7 Kansas State to win the Heisman.

Chapple rewarded

Harvard quarterback Colton Chapple and Princeton defensive lineman Mike Catapano were the recipients of The Asa S. Bushnell Cup, which honors the Ivy League players of year.

Chapple is the Offensive Player of the Year and Catapano the Defensive Player of the Year. Chapple is the seventh Harvard player to be honored as a Bushnell Cup recipient, and third straight following
Gino Gordon (2010) and Josue Ortiz (2011).

Spurrier stays

Steve Spurrier received a two-year extension that will keep him at South Carolina through 2017. There was no salary increase. Spurrier is scheduled to again earn $3.3 million in 2013 . . . Penn State quarterback Matt McGloin won the Burlsworth Award, given to the top player who began his career as a walk-on. McGloin led the Nittany Lions (8-4) by setting school records for yards passing (3,266) and TD passes (24) in a season . . . Former Kentucky coach Joker Phillips landed at Florida, joining the Gators as receivers coach and recruiting coordinator. Florida coach Will Muschamp said Phillips will begin work Friday. Kentucky fired Phillips Nov. 4. He went 13-24 in three seasons at Kentucky, including 0-8 in SEC play this year . . . Arkansas assistant Paul Petrino was hired as the new head coach at Idaho. Petrino is the brother of former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino.